Nancy's heart just about dropped to the floor as her eyes widened. "Wh-what just happened?"

Helen took several breaths. "We got a note telling us that Katherine's father and uncle have been kidnapped!"

Nancy backed up her car. "Where are you now?"

"We took them to the Tophams. Figured it was the safest place right now."

"Good idea. I'm on my way." Nancy hung up the phone and gunned her car. She had to come to a stop at a red light, and that gave her pause to think. Were the Kovnas involved in the tug-of-war over the royal family? If so, which side? Would this new mystery solve that one as well? She let out a breath as the light turned green and she pushed on the gas. If this was going to get worse, she might not be able to do much of anything and would have to call in her uncle for sure. She just hoped, and prayed, that everything would turn out alright.

Nancy pulled into the driveway of the Topham house and quickly turned off her car. The next instant, she was inside, looking for her friends. She found them, all of them crowded around the Kovnas in the living room. "Helen, tell me everything!"

Helen quickly rose from the sofa and pulled Nancy into the foyer. "I think we ought to tell them about the queen and the prince," she whispered.

"What? Why?"

Helen quickly pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it. "Because the note said that they had better tell them where the queen and her grandson are staying, or else." She handed the note to Nancy.

"What, really?" Nancy took the note and read it. There, in broad, bold lettering, were the words, "Tell us where the royal family is, or you'll never see yours again!" Nancy furrowed her forehead in thought. Was this just a ploy to get information out of them, or were the Kovnas actually here to look after the queen and her grandson? She glanced at the Kovnas. Only one way to find out.

She approached them and placed a reassuring hand on Mrs. Kovna's shoulder. "Helen told me what happened. But can you tell me what happened? Any details you can remember could be helpful."

Mrs. Kovna shrugged. "I don't know that there is anything that can help. My husband and my brother were supposed to land in Chicago at 10:15 and get a taxi to Lilac Inn. We would meet with them back at the Inn."

Nancy held up the note. "Then, how did you find this?"

Helen let out a breath. "They, whoever they are, left it on my windshield while, while we were having our picnic."

"And you're sure neither one of them showed up at the Inn?"

Emily nodded. "We called Jane to be sure. No men signed in at the front under their names."

"What are their names?"

"Johann Kovna and Henri Fontaine," said Mrs. Kovna in a soft voice.

"Oh, why can't we go to the police?" Millie asked. She turned to her mother. "Please, mommy, they can help us!"

Nancy glanced between Millie and her mother. She knelt down and patted Millie's hand. "I'm sure your mother has a good reason to want to go to the police." She turned to Mrs. Kovna. "I would like to know why myself." Mrs. Kovna merely raised her eyes from the floor to look at Nancy. "Perhaps your father and uncle are here to help the queen get home?"

Katherine let out a soft gasp. A tear fell down Mrs. Kovna's face. "No one but you and Mr. Faber were supposed to know we were coming," Mrs. Kovna whispered.

Millie's eyes widened as she glanced between Nancy and her mother. "Wait, what?"

Mrs. Kovna let out a sigh. "Yes, we used Katherine's trip as a cover."

"But-but Mom, no one else was supposed to know!" blurted Millie.

Mrs. Kovna patted her daughter's hand. "It's alright, Millie, I think we can trust these girls. I highly doubt the Rebels would have hired them."

Millie glanced at each one of them, her eyes narrowing. "How can you be so sure?"

Mrs. Kovna sighed. "When you've been working to return the royal family, you start to figure out quickly who you can and cannot trust." She looked at each of the girls. "And sometimes, you have to take a risk." She pursed her lips. "And in this situation, I don't think we have much of a choice."

Emily looked at Millie. "Besides, your queen herself trusts Nancy."

Millie gasped as she turned from Emily to Nancy with wide eyes. "She does?"

Helen chuckled nervously. "As a matter of fact, we've been keeping you from seeing her because we weren't sure you could be trusted!"

"And we couldn't risk you seeing Michael!" blurted Izzy.

Mrs. Kovna's eyes snapped open wide as she glanced at Nancy. "You found Prince Michael!?"

Katherine's mouth dropped. "No way! We were thinking it would have taken us weeks to find him! How did you do it?"

Nancy chuckled nervously. "Actually, he found us. He was trying to reveal himself to Mr. Faber when we interrupted it. I then brought him and his grandmother together."

"And his girlfriend, Sally, is really sweet too!" said Izzy. "I think she would make a great queen!"

"You found him and he has a wonderful girlfriend?" Katherine looked at her mother. "Things are going pretty well on that front then."

Nancy pursed her lips. She locked eyes with Mrs. Kovna and knew, she had to tell them. She sighed. "But something's off."

Katherine blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It's too easy," Nancy said.

Mrs. Kovna nodded slowly. "That is what I was starting to think. This is far too easy, and if the rebels are behind this, then we could very well be playing into their hands."

The others glanced between Nancy and Mrs. Kovna.

"Nancy, did Francis do or say anything suspicious during their meeting today?" asked Helen. "Or Sally?"

Nancy shook her head. "Definitely not Sally," she said, "I think we can trust her. But Francis … let's just say I have a suspicion Francis is hiding something." She then revealed to them the conversation she overheard between Francis and the two men who were definitely rebels. She also told them about the letter Nada wrote before she died and Mrs. Alexandra's reaction to it.

Mrs. Kovna blinked. "Nada didn't believe that," she said. "Nada knew for sure that Mr. Baum was only going to make sure that they were provided for and that they meet when Michael was old enough." She let out a huff. "But it would explain why Nada hasn't been in contact with us for the past ten years."

Nancy jumped, blinking. "Ten years? Francis said she died thirteen years ago!"

An uneasy silence settled before Mrs. Kovna whispered, "Are you sure?"

Nancy nodded. "Positive."

Helen gasped. "Then, then Francis really isn't Michael Alexandra!"

"Oh no!" said Izzy with a gasp. "We're putting the Queen in danger!"

"We need to let her know right away!" said Ida.

Mrs. Kovna stood up. "No, we should not." Everyone looked at her.

"What? Why not?" asked Helen.

"We need to let the rebels think they're winning. Besides, for now, the real Michael Alexandra is safe. If we can keep their focus off of looking for him by thinking this plan of theirs will work, by putting their own Michael Alexandra on the throne, then we will be able to find the real Michael Alexandra."

"But when we do, how will we prove it?"

Nancy gasped. "I think I know." Everyone looked at her. "Mrs. Alexandra wants me to figure out one last puzzle tomorrow, which she said would be the final clue to let us know if Francis really is Michael. If it is such a vital clue, we can use it to prove who is the real Michael Alexandra!"

Katherine clasped her hands. "Oh thank heavens!"

Mrs. Kovna clasped Nancy's shoulders. "But if it is indeed a vital clue, you cannot share it with anyone. Promise me that you will tell no one of what you find. Don't even mention this again to anyone else. Your life is in danger, and if our enemies even knew about this final clue, they will kill you before you could use it to find the real Michael Alexandra. I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but Nancy, I'm placing the safety of the royal family, especially the prince, in your hands."

Nancy let out a breath. "I promise not to tell, and I will keep him safe."

Mrs. Kovna nodded. "Thank you."

"That's all good for the prince, but what about Daddy and Uncle Henri?" said Millie.

"That's the other thing. This charade could be keeping them alive. The sooner we find them and Michael Alexandra, the better."

"But Mommy, how are we to get everyone out of the country safely?" said Millie.

Katherine glanced at her mother. "We might have to bring in the U.S. government."

Mrs. Kovna let out a huff. "Though I wish to avoid that as much as possible, it could make things worse."

"Mrs. Kovna, actually, about that." Everyone turned to Nancy.

Helen smiled. "Oh yeah, Nancy as an agent for an uncle!"

"Oh yes, your Uncle Denis!" exclaimed the twins.

Mrs. Kovna raised an eyebrow. "Your uncle is an agent for the U.S. government?"

Nancy nodded. "Yes, and I've already told him everything we have already found out, up to this point, anyways. I will have to tell him about Francis possibly being a fake. He might not have to bring in the whole government, but he could help us in a few tight spots."

"Won't he be here in a few days?" said Emily.

Nancy nodded. "A couple, in fact."

"Plus, with Bess and George arriving tomorrow, we'll have more than enough people keeping an eye out for these crooks," said Helen.

"Don't you think we should bring in the guys as well?" asked Emily.

Izzy bobbed her head. "Some manpower would come in handy."

"Like Richard Matthews?" said Millie in a teasing voice as she glanced at Katherine with a smirk.

"Oh, he's a must have, he helped us save Mr. Drew, so he's in for sure," said Izzy with a wave of her hand.

Mrs. Kovna let out a huff. "Looks like we're getting ourselves a little army." She turned to her daughters. "And now that we have so many people helping us, we should go meet our queen." She turned back to Nancy. "Good luck with the clue tomorrow. I hope it is the one we need."

Nancy nodded, feeling a little anxious. "I hope so too. And the best of luck to all of us." She glanced around the room. A family, an elderly queen and her maid, a group of teens, a young man, and a lone FBI agent against who knows how many people set upon destroying the last of the Centrovian royal family. They were going to need all the luck they could get.

(Author's Note: Hello my rosy readers! Happy belated Christmas and New Year's, plus happy Groundhog Day and Candlemas! Yes! I finally got another chapter out! Woohoo! Expect the next chapter for the boys to come out real soon. And thank God, I got today and yesterday off due to the ice and power outages so I could get this and a few other things done, namely some things for the two magazines I volunteer for. Which, speaking of, look for Fellowship and Fairydust's Tales of Chivalry: A Medieval Anthology on Amazon! We finally got it published! Also, LogoSophia is coming out with the first issue of the year this Saturday, with deadlines for the next issue for both magazines coming up on March 3. The theme for LogoSophia is Liberty, and the theme for Fellowship and Fairydust is Royalty. For me, I have started on a project that has been stewing in my brain for a little while called Sylvester Snow and the Ambrosians. It is kind of similar to Percy Jackson, but the Ambrosians are not demigods in that they are children of the gods, but they are gifted these powers by the deities, who are actually just a lesser form of genie called qarin, and it is passed down generation after generation ... except for a few, one of whom is Sylvester. He's immortal, along with a few others, so their powers stay with them, basically. But for everyone else, it is usually passed down. I am still trying to write my story about Matthew, making snail-pace's headway on that one, as well as reworking several worlds and figuring out that several of the stories I want to work on are going to be more holiday based. Take, for instance, Sylvester Snow, the three main holidays are the American New Year, the Chinese New Year, and Mardi Gras, simply because the character Jeter Jam is such a New Orleans kid. But yes, I am going to finish this, especially now that I am one step closer to the end, and you are correct about Richard. I also am going to finish every other mystery I have started, even though the Tom Corbett and Arden Blake ones are going to be sitting in limbo a little longer than the others. The Hobbit mystery I think just needs one more chapter, or maybe two ... I guess I've been hemming and hawing over that one because I wanted it longer, but it's not turning out that way. So, expect just two more chapters, at most, and it will finally be done. I think I need to work on the next mysteries in that series just a tad bit more so that one, they do in fact go to where I want them to go, which is eventually Gondor, and two, add a few more mysteries so we get some more time with these characters before the finale. Which mostly means adding more to the list, and I have to figure out exactly what those mysteries would be about, who they involve, and naming everyone. So once I finish Green Dragon Caper, it's going on the back burner until further notice. But do expect some more Lord of the Rings content as later this year is the 20th anniversary of the Return of the King, and I definitely want to write a few things in honor of it. Who knows, I might get that second mystery out. But with everything that's been going on, well, timing could use some work ... instead of coming home around six, eating supper, walking the dog, listening to my sister's ideas, taking a shower, and watching whatever my mom puts on the TV before heading off to bed. Scrolling social media certainly wasn't the relaxation I needed and Sims wasn't quite cutting it, so I got Dreamlight Valley and I think it's given me the fun I needed, even if it's only for a little while. But it, coupled with these two days off, have been what I have been in desperate need of and now that I got it ... I kinda want to keep it. But right now, not happening as I have to save up money for other things. Anyways, thank you all so so much for reading, hanging around, reviewing, and being patient! I appreciate each and every one of you! I hope to be a little more regular in my posting, but time will tell. Thanks again, and have a blessed day!)